Do you have the courage to take command of your business from the middle? Business owners I work with are looking for ways to inspire their managers and line workers to execute or seize the moment to ensure that customers are well served. With this in mind, I recommend my late friend Jill Morgenthaler’s book: The Courage to Take Command: Leadership Lessons from a Military Trailblazer, McGraw-Hill, 2015. Jill shares gutsy stories of where she, as a leader in the ranks, took command of the situation to ensure that core objectives were achieve in a way that honored all of her stakeholders.
Jill’s stories are most appropriate for civilian leaders. They involve what are currently called VUCA challenges, or situations that are Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous, and sometimes all four at once. Her stories show how middle managers can take charge and make tough, and sometimes unpopular, decisions that get results.
Among Jill’s many tips for middle managers, she shares four questions to ask yourself for proclaiming your success:
- Self: What did you do?
- Situation: What was the problem or obstacle?
- Solution: What did you do to solve the problem?
- Success: What were the results? *
What are your courageous middle-manager stories?
Share your courageous middle manager stories with other readers by sharing in the comments. How have you taken command from the middle?
How might you share your stories in a way that will help you grow your business?
By sharing your story and reflecting upon it, how will it help you grow your business? How can you improve your command of your business?
*Colonel Jill Morgenthaler, The Courage to Take Command: Leadership Lessons from a Military Trailblazer, New York, McGraw-Hill education, 2015, P. 130
Chuck Scharenberg is the Founder of More Profit More Freedom, a consultancy that supports the execution of large-scale growth for small businesses. His practice has successfully grown businesses with processes that identify potential roadblocks and mitigation schemes to accelerate realistic execution.